A GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF VAJRADHARA, 15TH-16TH CENTURY

A GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF VAJRADHARA, 15TH-16TH CENTURY

Published & Exhibited: Galerie Zacke, Buddhistische u.a. Skulpturen. Bronzen und Friesfragmente ab dem 2. Jh., 10 February - 15 March 1988, catalogue number 71 (at the time identified as Vajrasattva and dated to the 17th century).

Tibet. Seated in vajraparyankasana on a double lotus base, his arms crossed against the chest in vajrahumkara mudra with his hands holding the vajra and ghanta, symbolizing the male aspect of skillful means and compassion and the female aspect of wisdom, respectively. His body richly adorned with beaded foliate jewelry finely inlaid with turquoise. His serene face with downcast eyes below gently arched brows centered by a raised urna, above smiling lips and a rounded chin, flanked by elongated lobes with pendent earrings. The hair tied into a tall chignon topped by a jewel behind the five-point diadem.

Provenance: Galerie Zacke, Vienna, 1988. Collection of Dr. Ferdinand and Dr. Gudrun Thaler-Szulyovsky, acquired from the above, and thence by descent in the same family. The couple, who had both been practicing law, met in 1967 through their mutual passion for art. Together they built a substantial and diverse art collection over many decades, one of their first works of Asian art being a painting of Guan Yu, received as payment for legal services, from the prominent Styrian brewer Sigurd Reininghaus.
Condition: Good condition with extensive wear, predominantly from centuries of worship within the culture. Expected casting flaws, minor nicks, few scratches, rubbing to gilt, some inlays lost or replaced. Remnants of pigment. The base possibly resealed.

Weight: 250.8 g
Dimensions: Height 11.4 cm

According to the Nyingma School, Vajradhara is an emanation of Buddha Samantabhadra. Meanwhile, the other predominant Tibetan Buddhist schools see him as the secret form of Shakyamuni Buddha and the combined essence of the Buddhas of all ten directions and three periods of time gathered as one. From Vajradhara arise important deities such as Guhyasamaja, Shri Hevajra, and Chakrasamvara.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby's New York, 23 March 2019, lot 1630
Price: USD 4,750 or approx. EUR 5,300 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A copper alloy figure of Vajradhara, Tibet, 15th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and manner of casting, with similar albeit fewer turquoise inlays. Note the related size (13 cm).